Component Reviews

ATI HP FIRE GL V7200

Great buy at $189

a techie

JUL

15

2008

The ATI Fire GL V7200 video card from TigerDirect is a great buy, $189. It run s BF2 much better than the Radeon 1650 I was running. The real reason to use the card is for hign end CAD. I need to run Solidworks and this card allows me to run at home without spending over $450! — The card was for an HP work station so you may need to remove the extra mounting arm. I also recommend a power suply that can power the PCIe card directly. —… read full review »

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Chris-66
Atlanta, GA

Targus Chill Mat PA248U Laptop Cooler

Keep your Laptop Cool

keeping it simple, a techie, interested in comfort

JUL

8

2008

My laptop used to shut off due to overheating, plus my palms and fingers would get too hot... However, I happenstanced on this product about a year ago and it's been one of the best investments! It's paid for itself ten-fold. — I've recommended this product to many people and know they are happy to have a cooled off laptop while they work on projects, etc. — It's convenient, simple to use, lightweight, and totally affordable. Get it at Target, it's less costly there - at Best Buy it was $40 more. — You will be happy with comfortable palms and fingers while… read full review »

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yinyang
Rocklin, CA

Targus Chill Mat PA248U Laptop Cooler

LOVE YA

JUN

11

2008

YOU DO NOT NEED THAT FOR YOUR LAPTOP. I DO NOT KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT LAPTOPS BUT I KNOW YOU DO NOT NEED THAT. SOME LAPTOPS ARE ALREADY EQUIPPED WITH EVERYTHING. YOU HAVE SO MANY COMPUTER GEEKS IN THE WORLD. THEY COULD HACK INTO ANY COMPUTER. THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS SUBJECT. IF YOU PUT PLASTIC ON A LAPTOP YOU WILL BURN IT ON THE COMPUTER AND YOU WILL END UP SENDING IT BACK TO SHOP OR THE COMPANY YOU BROUGHT IT… read full review »

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TYRONDA
Vidalia, GA

Best Connectivity 1394a/USB2 Combo PCI-Express Card

Works like a charm

a PC User, comfortable with technology, a do-it-yourselfer

MAY

29

2008

I have a fairly new Gateway computer that's really fast, perfect for a task like editing some videos that I've had laying around the house. However, the problem was that the camcorder I borrowed used a FireWire port (also known as iLink and IEEE1394) to feed video into the computer and my computer did not have a matching FireWire port. Therefore, I went to the neighborhood computer store and bought a Best Connectivity 1394a/USB2 Combo card for $45. — What it is — The Best Connectivity 1394a/USB2 Combo card fits into a PCI-Express slot in a standard PC-style computer.… read full review »

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bkovacs
Annandale, VA

Powercolor 2400HD Pro PCI

Good for PCs with only PCI slots and with a good CPU and RAM.

MAY

20

2008

When I got this card, I didn't expect much, but when I finally played some games with it, it was an excellent experience. This is one of only two or three cards that use the PCI interface that can run full DX9 and shader model 3.0 games, and it can even use DX10, but does not do well performance-wise in DX10. This will get you all the latest effects: HDR, anti-aliasing, motion blur, color correction, and more, but it will suffer on lower-end PCs. This card does get warm, so you should ensure that you have good ventilation where your PC is. If you have a PCI-E or AGP slot, go for and AGP or… read full review »

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ganonscrub
Gardner, MA

Nvidia 320MB Graphics Card

An outstanding piece of hardware!

a PC User, computer geek, always online, a techie, a graphics pro

MAY

20

2008

I got this card and fell in love with it the moment I started playing games with it. It runs Half-Life 2: Episode 2 on all high with a constant 60+ fps, although I only play it in 1024x768. If you are having performance troubles, upgrade your RAM and CPU, because this card can handle almost anything. The only game that makes this card work really hard and to the point that it slows down is really Crysis in DX10. It can get down to 20fps sometimes, which is kind of depressing but if you have an amazing computer, it should run Crysis no problem. In a nutshell, this is absolutely a card worth… read full review »

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ganonscrub
Gardner, MA

Powerline 140-watt DC to AC Power Inverter (0900-78) 140-Watt Power Supply

Satisfies my need for power

a techie, a gadget geek, thrifty

APR

6

2008

I need to occasionally run my laptop computer in the car and thought it would also be a good idea to be able to charge gizmos such as cell phones, MP3 players and a GPS unit. The obvious answer was to get a power inverter, which is a device that converts the car's 12-Volt DC power into standard household 120-Volt AC power. I tried a small inverter sold by Wal-Mart, but it was rated at 60 Watts and that just wasn't enough power to run my laptop computer. — — I therefore went back to Wal-Mart and found the Powerline 140-Watt power inverter, and it works much better. The unit costs… read full review »

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bkovacs
Annandale, VA

Asus DVD/RW drive w/lightscribe

Quiet, efficient, high-quality drive

a techie

MAR

30

2008

Drive performs quietly and reliably with excellent speed. Never fails to burn a disc properly. Great value for the… read full review »

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pixiebeth
Grand Rapids, MI

Intel cpu

Great chip that is easily overclocked.

computer geek

MAR

30

2008

The Intel Quad core chips are the best on the market; multi-tasking has finally come into its own. Easily overclocked with a low heat signature and loads of on-board… read full review »

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BigDaddy46
Charleston, SC

Intel Dual Core Processer 2140

Dual Core Technology Rocks

a techie

MAR

24

2008

Great processor! Can't go wrong with dual core, basically two computers built into one processor. Spend the extra bucks and go with a multiple core… read full review »

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canoeman
Big Rapids, MI

Syba IDE to SATA adapter

not for UDMA 4,5,6 IDE drives

a PC User

MAR

24

2008

good and cheap adapter, works great for a CD writer DVD combo drive. buyers beware that you cannot use this device for UDMA 4,5,6 IDE… read full review »

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sbpurohit
Augusta, GA

Targus Chill Mat PA248U Laptop Cooler

Don't buy this cheaply made mat, it'll definitely break!

a PC User

MAR

20

2008

You can count on this cheaply made chill mat breaking down after the warranty period. It did it for me during, and later after, the warranty period. In theory a good idea; but, made too cheaply to hold up in gentle use - imagine if you're rough with… read full review »

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edwardw35242
Birmingham, AL

Sapphire Radeon HD 3870 X2

Best video card on the market!

a PC User, computer geek, a techie

MAR

11

2008

I recently purchased a Sapphire Radeon HD 3870 X2, and I'm extremely impressed. — It's a dual GPU video card, with 512MB of ram per core, for a total of 1 GB. — I got it at newegg.com for $429 and it's been a very worthwhile investment. If you're a big PC gamer, consider this card, you'll be very satisfied. —… read full review »

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whitedragon33
Abilene, TX

Antec NoteBook Cooler

Does its job very well, still not happy with the product

a PC User, a techie, budget conscious, always online

MAR

10

2008

I bought this one 3-4 months ago. I was very happy with this product after getting it. It performs its job well. It cools the laptop base and my habbit is to keep my laptop always on my lap. It has silent operation and best this is that you don't loose your USB port as it provides one. It has 3 yeras warranty too. It has some place to keep the USB cord. But it is not so sturdy so its broken. Although that doesn't at all affect the performance. My main concern is now a days I feel like its not working fine. The port to connect the cord and the cooler is loose so always I have to keep on eye… read full review »

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Sontumuni
Clemson, SC

Linksys 802.11GB Wireless Adapter

This is not a wireless adaptor that I would reccommend.

a PC User, always online

MAR

5

2008

I purchased one of these wireless adaptors in 2006 and had no problems with it. I purchased andother two for a new computer this year, 2008 and even after calling all of the tech systems no one was able to get it to work for me. The sales person at Circuit City informed me, after I had made several trips, that I would not be able to use this or any other model number unless everything was erased from my computor. I found this unacceptable. It seems that the model that I had previously was an old model that they no longer carried and the new models were not that… read full review »

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coconut226
Newark, NJ

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